Larry Needle, executive director of the Philadelphia Sports Congress, worked closely with USA Curling to bring the eight-day event to the Iceworks Skating Complex in Aston, Pa.

It comes on the heels of the Sochi games and will feature competitions among men’s and women’s teams from across the country.

Also attending will be representatives from the US Curling men’s team, who finished ninth at the Olympics this year.

“For us to have kind of a piece of the Olympics right here in our own backyard really is a special thing,” Needle tells KYW Newsradio.

Sarah Anderson, a senior at Marple Newtown High School, is a member of Team Anderson. Her three sisters also are on the team.

“Well, it’s a very big family sport, as you can tell, since we’re all sisters on the team and my dad coached us all from a young age,” she says. “And it’s just a lot of fun, and it’s a social and competitive sport.”